Law Society of Saskatchewan
Find Legal AssistanceMember ProfileMember ResourcesContact
  • 0
    Cart
  • My Account
  • About Us
      • slider_1Latest News
      • Notice of Member Reinstatement
      • Get Free Help on Family Law Matters in Saskatchewan This Winter & Spring!
      • Form of Address
      • News
        • Legal Sourcery
        • Podcast
        • ReSource
        • Videos
        • Benchers’ Digest
        • Case Mail
      • Mission and Values
      • Committees and Task Forces
      • Convocation
      • Benchers
        • Bencher Election 2018
        • Bencher Election 2021
      • Annual and Financial Reports
      • Contact Us
  • Initiatives
    • slider_1Initiatives
      The Law Society is seeking to identify legal service providers for new initiatives. This unique approach, the first of its kind in Canada, enables the Law Society to expand access to appropriately regulated legal services in a responsible and sustainable manner. The overall goal is to balance the need for enhanced access to legal services for underserved Saskatchewan citizens while ensuring public protection. For more information, click below. Consultation
      • Access to Justice
        • Future of Legal Services Initiative
          • The Limited Licensing Pilot
        • Limited Scope Legal Services – Information for the Public
        • Limited Scope Legal Services – Information for Lawyers
        • Canada’s Access to Justice Week
      • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
        • Equity Office
      • Legal Information
        • Legal Information Guidelines
        • Saskatchewan Access to Legal Information
      • Innovating Regulation
      • Truth and Reconciliation
        • Additional Resources
        • Notice to Day School Survivors
      • Saskatchewan Justicia Project
  • Regulation
    • slider_1Remote Executing Of Certain Documents And Remote Witnessing Of Wills By Electronic Means Legislation Now Permanent
      We are happy to announce that today, the Government of Saskatchewan repealed the temporary emergency regulations related to remote execution of certain documents and wills and replaced those regulations with permanent regulations allowing for remote execution of documents via electronic means (i.e. video calls) to continue long-term beyond the end of the public emergency period. Practice Directives
      • Definition of the Practice of Law and Unauthorized Practice of Law
      • Firm Regulation
        • Designated Representative (DR) Hub
      • Act, Code and Rules
        • The Legal Profession Act, 1990
        • Code of Professional Conduct and Amendments
        • Law Society Rules, Amendments and Practice Directives
        • Rules Concordance – Read More
      • Hearings, Decisions and Rulings
        • Hearing Committee Adjudicator Roster
        • Pending Discipline Matters
        • Discipline Decisions
        • Conduct Review Database
        • Ethics Rulings Database
        • Pending Admissions and Education Matters
        • Admissions and Education Decisions
        • Disqualification and Reinstatement
      • Lawyers with Practice Conditions/Restrictions
      • Lawyer Trusteeships and Successors
      • Potential Complaint Outcomes
        • Ethics Committee
        • Competency Committee
        • Conduct Investigation Committee
  • Public
    • slider_1New Law Society Complaint Form
      The goal is to assist and encourage complainants to provide clear and concise descriptions of their concerns, and reduce confusion by removing technical terms that may not be fully understood by members of the general public (i.e.: “conflict of interest”). Complaint Form
      • Finding Legal Assistance
      • Find Legal Assistance Search Guidance
      • What to Expect From Your Lawyer
      • Looking For Lost Wills
      • Making a Complaint
        • Complaints Process
      • Common Client Concerns
        • Understanding Lawyers’ Fees
        • Quality of Service
        • Conflict of Interest
        • Confidentiality
        • Withdrawal
        • File Transfers
      • Common Client Concerns
        • Role of an Estate’s Lawyer
        • Role of Opposing Lawyer
        • Breach of Trust Conditions/Undertakings
        • Lawyer’s Conduct in Court
        • Lawyer’s Outside Interests
  • Lawyers and Students
    • hiring sign resizedCareer and Volunteer Opportunities
      • Becoming a Lawyer in Saskatchewan
        • Students-at-law
        • Transfer Lawyers
        • International Applicants
      • Becoming a Principal
      • Career And Volunteer Opportunities
        • Students Seeking Articles
      • Membership Services
        • Member Renewal Hub
      • Awards, Bursaries, Scholarships
      • Consultation
      • Locum Registry
      • Expanded Practice Advisor Program
      • Forms and Fees
        • Law Society Forms
        • Trust Account Forms
      • Western Conveyancing Protocol
        • Protocol for Saskatchewan
      • Practice Resources
        • General Resources
        • Queen’s Bench Rules
      • Health and Wellness
  • Legal Resources
  • CPD
    • slider_1Continuing Professional Development
      • CPD Activities
        • CPD Calendar of Activities
        • CPD On Demand (Subscription)
        • CPD Activity Application Form
        • Recorded Versions Shop
        • Study Group Resources
      • CPD Policy
        • Reporting CPD Hours
        • Eligible CPD Activities
        • Approved Providers
        • Remedial CPD Plan Information
        • FAQs
        • Transition to One-Year CPD Term
      • Contact Us
      • Volunteers
      • Presenter Section
  • Shop
Law Society of Saskatchewan Initiatives Innovating Regulation

Innovating Regulation

The practice of law and demands for legal services are changing.

Driven in part by new technologies, new business models, and access to justice concerns, delivery and regulation of legal services are evolving around the world.

Firm Regulation

In Saskatchewan, The Legal Profession Act,1990 was amended in 2014 to include firms as members of the Law Society. Under the Act, one of the duties of the Law Society is to protect the public by assuring the integrity, knowledge, skill, proficiency and competence of members. A proactive approach through firm regulation allows both law firms and the Law Society to:

  1. Be more responsive to a diverse and profoundly changing environment.
  2. Enhance the quality of legal services.
  3. Encourage ethical legal practice.
  4. Foster innovation in legal services.

The Benchers of the Law Society of Saskatchewan approved, in principle, the necessary framework for the implementation of proactive firm regulation and approved the creation of the Firm Regulation Committee in December 2018 as the body responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of framework to support proactive law firm regulation. On January 1, 2020, after much hard work, Firm Regulation Rules were officially brought into effect as Part 9 of the Law Society Rules.

After the success of the Law Firm Practice Management Pilot Project in 2017, the LSS has adopted a competency based approach to Firm Regulation.

Designated Representatives act as the liaison between the law firms and the LSS.

For More Information

Firm Regulation Rules/ Requirements

New Firm Regulation Rules (Part 9 of the Law Society Rules) took effect January 1, 2020.

What does this mean for firms?

1. Firm Registration & Appointing a Designated Representative
A primary contact person in each firm will receive an email asking them to confirm information about the firm and to appoint a Designated Representative (“DR”). The DR acts as the point person or liaison for the firm and is responsible for all communications on behalf of the firm with the Law Society. The DR is also responsible for completing the Assessment Tool and Annual Report with support from others within the firm, as needed. There are more communications upcoming on this and information specific to the DR will be available early in the new year, so keep an eye out for those communications coming soon.

2. Assessment Tool
Based on feedback from the pilot project, the Assessment Tool is undergoing improvements and an online version is in development. In moving the Assessment Tool and proactive firm regulation forward, we know, based on the feedback we received and have incorporated, firms will experience and appreciate the value of the Assessment Tool. The implementation of the Assessment Tool will be gradual in nature and it will be rolled out over three years. In most cases firms will only be required to complete the tool once every three years. Further information on the roll out of the Assessment Tool will be provided periodically in the upcoming months.

3. The Annual Report
Most firms will be familiar with the TA-3 which is filed with the Law Society in accordance with the firm’s year end, which in most cases is December 31st. The Annual Report is not another document the firm is being asked to file, rather the TA-3 will be amalgamated into and renamed as the Annual Report. For firms without trust accounts, they will also be required to file an Annual Report unique to them. Firms will be required to file an Annual Report for year-end 2020. More information will be made available in the upcoming months.

The Law Firm Practice Management Pilot Project (2017)

Law Firm Practice Management Pilot Project

The Prairie Law Societies conducted a pilot project in 2017 to test a new resource that would help firms assess the robustness of their practice management systems and firm culture. The Law Firm Practice Management Assessment Tool (the “Assessment Tool”) helps a firm recognize its strengths and provides things to consider where opportunities for improvement are identified.

The expected outcomes of the pilot project were to (1) to test the functionality of the Assessment Tool, and (2) to determine how the Assessment Tool could be used collaboratively between firms and the Law Society to ensure sound practice management systems are in place. Pilot Project participants were identified by randomly selecting firms of various sizes throughout the province so to provide a representative sample of Saskatchewan firms. Those firms were invited to voluntarily participate in the Pilot Project. Ultimately, 22 Saskatchewan firms participated. A similar process was followed in Alberta and Manitoba.

Participating firms were asked to designate a representative who would be the point person for the Pilot Project. The designated representative’s task was to ensure the firm undertook the self-assessment process using the Assessment Tool. The designated representative was asked to do the following:

  • Report to the Law Society things that the firm is doing well and identify areas for improvement,
  • Complete an evaluation of the Assessment Tool, and
  • Conduct an exit interview about their experience.

The Assessment Tool places a focus on the firm as a whole as the systems, norms, and culture of a firm greatly influence conduct and overall practice of its lawyers. By design, the Assessment Tool is intended as a self evaluation mechanism as well as a convenient source of best practice resources. The content of the Assessment Tool is designed to help firms examine ways to best serve their clients, their lawyers, and their employees. This, in effect, fosters public protection through ethical, efficient practice and good business practices.

The ultimate goal of this project was to foster a more collaborative relationship between the Law Society and its members, including firms, and to help lawyers and firms manage risk so that the likelihood of conduct leading to a complaint or negligence is minimized. The feedback received from the Pilot was extremely informative and crucial to the determinations the Benchers have made about the assessment process. Overall, the feedback about the Assessment Tool was positive but there were aspects of the Assessment Tool and the overall assessment process that required some fine-tuning. The Prairie Law Societies worked together to develop a final regulatory framework and to refine the Assessment Tool based on the feedback received from the pilot project participants.

Pilot Project Participants

Members of the following Saskatchewan law firms volunteered to develop resources for the project:

  • Behiel Will & Biemans (Humboldt)
  • Chow McLeod (Moose Jaw)
  • Cindy M. Haynes Law Office (Regina)
  • Cuelenaere Kendall Katzman & Watson (Saskatoon)
  • Perkins Law Office (Meadow Lake)
  • Gerrand Rath Johnson LLP (Regina)
  • Griffen Toews Maddigan (Regina)
  • Hnatyshyn Gough (Saskatoon)
  • Kanuka Thuringer LLP (Regina & Swift Current)
  • Hodgson-Smith Law (Saskatoon)
  • Kohaly Elash & Ludwig Law Firm LLP (Estevan)
  • McKercher LLP (Saskatoon & Regina)
  • MLT Aikins LLP (Saskatoon & Regina)
  • Miller Thomson LLP (Saskatoon & Regina)
  • Noble Johnston Law Office (Regina)
  • Novus Law Group (Prince Albert)
  • Olive Waller Zinkhan & Waller LLP (Regina)
  • Robertson Stromberg (Saskatoon)
  • Scharfstein Gibbings Walen & Fisher LLP (Saskatoon)
  • Uppal Pandher LLP (Regina)
  • Wagner Law (Saskatoon)
  • WMCZ Lawyers (Saskatoon)
Discussion Papers & Reports
  • Innovating Regulation: A Collaboration of the Prairie Law Societies – A discussion paper co-authored by the Prairie Law Societies about the regulatory options available.
  • Abstract for Discussion Paper
  • Innovating Regulation: Consultation Report, September 2016 – Results of consultation with lawyers from the Prairie Provinces regarding proactive regulation of law firms
  • Appendix to Consultation Report – Written Submissions

Online Tools

  • Search
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • LSS Initiatives
  • For Lawyers & Students
  • For the Public
  • Regulation
  • CPD

Subscribe Now

Subscribe for the latest news from our blog "Legal Sourcery".

Stay Connected

Twitter
Facebook
Linkedin

© 2023 Law Society of Saskatchewan. Website & Hosting by OmniOnline